Wow, it feels like I have been away from this blog forever and I pretty much have! Oopsie. >_> There's really no excuse for my absence other than... teh lazy. If you hadn't noticed, there was a pretty big focus here on talking about Guild Wars 2 content. So when my interest in the game faltered and I pretty much stopped playing GW2 altogether, it also led to less of an interest in writing about it and continuing making updates for this site. My sincere apologies if anyone was actively wanting to keep up with these posts.

The youtube channel view for AeryPlays. :D

In other more awesome news though, I have finally forced myself to do something that I have been putting off for far too long, which is to create a YouTube channel! I still can't really believe it's real and actually a thing now. I've wanted to make videos for such a long time (we're talking years here), but kept thinking it was too complicated and that I'd never be able to do it. It also didn't help knowing I have a bad track record of starting things and then not following through with them for very long *cough* this site *cough*. So the idea of being a youtuber continued to be put off indefinitely.

I won't go into detail but around three months ago, my world pretty much fell apart. Or that's what it felt like (and still does a lot of the time honestly...). I really needed something to take my mind off everything - a new hobby to focus on and escape real life for a bit so I thought, "Why not give this a try?" Even if no one else watched them, I figured things definitely couldn't get any worse as I obviously had 0 views, 0 subscribers, and 0 videos at the time. I literally had nothing to lose and potentially a lot to gain.

Sooooo I decided to dive right into making videos! Some things were easier than expected, some things were harder than expected, but in the end it was all really fun. The hardest part was actually just sitting down and forcing myself to do it. Making videos has been an immense learning experience so far and I imagine it will stay that way for quite some time. I'm very much a yt noob. :p For fun I thought it would be amusing to list my top ten things I've somehow managed to figure out along the way:

recording and running games on a 5 year old crappy PC

basic editing (ooh you so fancy!)

what render settings to use (most times)

the need to cut back on saying "umm" and "uhh" all the time so I don't sound like a complete fool

making thumbnails that aren't horrendous

making channel artwork and then having to resize/change it all around for every single social media site

making a homemade pop filter out of an old sock

spending way too long animating an intro and outro

halfway decent SEO

promoting the channel while trying to not appear creepy and desperate, etc. etc.

I just finished posting my very first series and am having a blast with it all so far. Creating videos is a really enjoyable hobby. Who knows what the future holds, but right now I'm pleased with the feedback I've received. People seem to enjoy watching and that's really encouraging. Honestly never expected anyone to watch, so any growth is automatically awesome. A huge thank you and hug to anyone that subscribes, likes, or comments on a video. <3

My goal for the channel is to showcase all the great games out there. I also really want to make a positive place where people can watch my videos and escape for a bit, where they will feel included and supported. Especially those struggling with self-esteem, depression, etc. because I know what that's like. Creating videos is also a good way to keep challenging myself, so I'm hoping to do it for as long as possible! Don't give up on this, future Aery. :)

Also, if you're in a similar situation and are thinking of starting a channel - please do it! Don't wait until you have the perfect setup or channel art or any other excuse you can think of. Just go and record yourself playing a game and have a blast. It will be worth it, trust me!

What will happen with this website you might ask? Well, ideally I'd like it to sort of be a supplement to the youtube channel where I can post more in depth about certain things or provide extra bonus content of some sort. I'd still like to post updates about what my characters are doing in various games or news topics that might not really make sense to put in video format. In other words, I'm still figuring it out. But keep an eye out here as I definitely do not want to abandon this blog!

In the meantime, if you'd like to watch me stumble my way through video games you can do so below:

As you probably know by now, in the upcoming February update titled Flame and Frost: The Gathering Storm, they are adding guild missions to the game. Well, a bit more information has been released by Leah Rivera on what we can expect with this new addition to PVE gameplay! Keep reading to learn more. :)

In case you missed it, Sony unveiled in a press conference today their much anticipated new console - the Playstation 4! Oh my goodness. But wait! They didn't even show the actual console! :( Siigh. The good news is that there was lots of other information about new features, new games, new technologies, and a new controller that is in store for us. All of this and more will be hitting shelves this 2013 holiday season. Keep reading for a roundup of information and some highlights. :D